Preparation

Bring water and broth to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool 10 minutes. Reserve poaching liquid, uncovered.

While chicken is poaching, cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add poaching liquid and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 1 inch long). When vegetables are done simmering, stir chicken into soup along with parsley.

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Reviews

I just tried this awesome recipe and the soup is delish!! I added mushrooms right after I poured the poaching liquid over the other vegetables though because I love mushrooms and in addition, I added half a green chili (deseeded) to give it some heat. I think I might have just found my new go-to chicken soup recipe!!

My three-star review is based on following other reviewers' advice to flip the water/broth amounts (I used 4 cups broth, 1 3/4 water). I also used thighs instead of breasts and added elbow macaroni, though I don't think those changes were as important as the broth-water ratio. I didn't make any other tweaks, and I ended up with a really tasty soup, which was particularly impressive given how quick it is to make.

Made this last night. I ended up making a few changes. Added fire roasted tomatoes to it, and I wasn't sure if it would be hearty enough to serve as dinner, so I also added some orzo to it. It came out so good, everyone had 2 or more servings, including the pickiest eater of all, my father-in-law. :) It's def going on regular rotation.

This was a great little soup to make, very easy and adaptable. I used 5 cups of chicken broth and a 14.5 oz can of diced tomato instead of water. I also added potato and more of the veggies called for. I poached the chicken in the broth/tomato with dried garlic and rosemary. Also, I added fresh grated parmesan and served with toasted challah.

Using this as a base, I add one can
diced tomoatoes, a couple of
potatoes cubed and one can rinsed
and drained canellini beans. I use
all chicken broth (no water) - I
also add fresh thyme. I have added
the chicken breast to the soup raw
if I want to save on dishes. I make
a big pot of soup and we have it for
dinner twice. Delicious.

This was ok. I used 3 cups water and 1
3/4 c. broth. I added 1/4 tsp. dried
thyme. My veggies and chicken took longer to cook than stated in the
recipe. I might play around with this
to come up with a recipe that only uses
one pot.

We were snowed-in in Atlanta and I only had certain items on hand, so made various additions based on prior comments and necessity, and it turned out great. I used all broth, no water. Had no cheese rind so I used 3 oz. of sharp white cheddar, which dissolved in the hot broth. Added 2 bay leaves, as others suggested. Didnt have any fresh celery, so I added 1/4 cup of dried soup greens. Browned the chicken breasts in garlic powder and butter before poaching them. Used more carrots than called for, but disguised them by pureeing the soup (minus bay leaves) with a stick blender once the veggies were tender. Once past the puree point I added 28 oz. diced tomatoes, 6 oz. tomato paste, 2 lbs. frozen peas and ¾ c. chardonnay. The result was super a hearty, flavorful, healthy, low calorie soup with the shredded chicken and a nice crunch from the peas.

I used all the tips:
Browned the Chicken, reversed water to
broth ratio & added cheese rind, bay
leaf, noodles, cup of white wine, tomato
paste, S&P. It came out great; both, my
wife, down w/ a cold, & I really liked
it. I scored a couple of points w/ her.

This is a great
basic recipe that I
will use over and
over again. It was
fairly easy to
prepare - although
to saute the onions
and garlic while the
chicken was poaching
was not a good idea.
I took my eyes off
of it for a couple
of seconds and the
onions almost
burned. Saute while
shredding the
chicken. The
chicken also needed
more time to poach
than indicated.
I read about some
people thinking it
was too bland, but I
happened to have
some College Inn
chicken broth that
was made with white
wine and added
herbs. I think
everyone should find
that broth because
this soup was NOT
bland. Try it. If
you don't like it,
you can adjust it to
your taste.

This recipe was good, and basic. Like others have said-- Chicken soup, is chicken soup.. I don't believe any of the varieties I have had, have been taste sensations. One important key to enhancing this recipe is to switch the amounts of water vs. broth. 4 c. of broth and 1 3/4 c of water. I added other veggies- parsnips, and wide egg noodles towards the end. Don't be afraid to add salt and pepper! I also added 2 bay leaves during simmering. I would make this again.

Toss in a cubed potato, about half a can of tomato paste or a can of chopped tomatoes, a cup of red wine and a bay leaf or two. That will definitely give the soup more flavor. Serve with some al dente Ditalini noodles and you've got an excellent, hearty soup that cures what ails you.

Thank you for all the suggestions on tweeking
this. It was good, but it didn't have great chicken
flavor. Next time I will make my broth from scratch
using a whole chicken and see if that punches it
up. Cheese rind was a great suggestion as well as
increasing veggies.

I'm somewhat surprised at 3 1/2 forks for this. I used a lot of the recommendations other cooks shared and I was disappointed in the blandness of the broth. Used cheese rind, extra veggies, more broth to water, thigh added etc. Just didn't live up to other epicurious 3 1/2 fork recipes. I always appreciate other cooks suggestions. Thank you, so many of then are so spot on.

i love this soup. i
make it probably 6
times a year, often
enough to freeze
some. it's not the
world's most
interesting soup,
but it's good in an
i-have-no-reservations-about-enjoying-bowls-and-bowls
sort of way. very
clean tasting. i
always dip baguette
into it, and put
tons of fresh grated
parmesan on top. i
think i pretty much
always put in more
vegetables than they
say, and adjust the
s&p. i give this 4
forks because it's
just a very good,
no-disguises, honest
feeling soup.

Perfect soup if you are in a hurry. I used 4 stalks of selery and 8 small/medium carrots. Also added some green beens. I fried lightly 5 breasts of chicken with garlic powder in butter to get them golden brown on the surface before simmering. I also used wide egg noodles but the soup was nice w/o them. Light flavor is very nice.

Please don't use water at all for this recipe. I used about half water half broth and it was SUPER bland. I didn't have any boullion on hand so instead added a packet from Ramen noodles (Spicy Chicken). It at least gave it some taste. Also added corn and egg noodles, oregano & garlic salt to pep it up.

You have to make the
changes that a lot of the
reviewers did. I did this
and it was 3 stars after.
It's worth it, because
homemade chicken is so
much better.
Chcnages: Reverse the
water to broth amounts.
put parmesan rind and
bay leaf into broth with
chicken. add dried
thyme. green beans are
good, too!